Friday, October 5, 2012

Report: Freedom to marry and religious freedom completely compatible

Americans from all faith backgrounds support the ability to practice one’s religion free from government interference. These twin freedoms—the freedom to worship and the freedom to marry—are both important American values, and they are wholly compatible with one another.
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This report presents that analysis across four main areas. First, we analyze the kinds of religious exemption provisions that exist in marriage equality bills and detail the number of states that have included those provisions. Second, we discuss the current and future impact of these provisions on state residents. Third, we explain how the inclusion of these religious exemptions has increasingly shaped the outcome of marriage equality debates across the country. Fourth, we look at current efforts to undermine existing laws in ways that would actually create new legal authority for people to discriminate against gay and transgender individuals.

Lastly, we want to acknowledge that an increasing number of religious Americans and denominations have voiced their support for marriage equality. Religious opponents of marriage equality do not speak for all people of faith. Their claims should not go unchecked.